Shutdown Syntax - Chapter 4
Run
If you are new to Shutdown Syntax, start from the beginning.
Ali
Three idents, a new baseball cap, and blending through an untold number of crowds later, Ali darted into High Tide, a vastly different mixed martial arts gym on the east end of Vanguard, near Siltward—where the business district met the slums just before the enchantingly dilapidated docks. But of all the lavish amenities Siltward offered, Ali particularly loved the cover and hacked cameras. Especially since some—or most—of the cameras were hacked by the Syndicate, which meant Vanguard City’s Sentinel feed was nonexistent at best or, at worst, delayed.
As a gym, Ali liked High Tide—a no-bots, raw and gritty gym. She’d been coming here since before the police academy; it felt like home. It was home at one point. Inside, sweat and blood filled the air, mixed with the slap of bare feet and smothered sound of fists meeting flesh as after-work crowds gathered, placing bets on the bot-free bouts—a rarity in Vanguard—that would start soon.
Someone bumped Ali into a muscular woman with—despite her young age—cauliflower ears, and the crowd closed in around them. "Eh?" the woman slammed both hands into Ali's back, throwing her into the crowd of eyes and mods.
Ali muttered a quick apology, but voices called out, “Did ya push our Angel?” Vehement and—goodness—multiple people.
Damn it! Was she recognized? Already? Maybe her tattoos were showing, or… it couldn't be her hair. She'd changed that since the last she'd been here.
Unfortunately, very little goodwill lived in this section of Vanguard. Whether by a bot or human, a bump here was never simply interpreted as a little bump.
Another shove sent Ali through the wall of bodies, and she caught sight of Nox’s deep skin flashing green with the sheen of his chameleon skin mod. And the way he pretended not to see her. “You mess with the Syndicate?” he called, loud enough for the crowd—and High Tide's owner, Cal, who constantly kept tabs in case Nox's augs destroyed anything—to hear. (Once, and not entirely Nox’s fault, his subdermal armor plates shredded through the punching bag covers and mitts. And Ali stuck to that story as well. It only happened once.) “I can’t hear ya!” Nox yelled.
Regulars knew he was banned from participating in the weekly fights. That didn't stop Nox from grabbing the entire gym's attention and throwing a punch or two while threatening to take the woman into the ring for a real bout. While avoiding Ali’s gaze, Nox did all of this. Focus stayed on him instead of her. Eyes shifted away…
Perfect.
Ali slipped into the locker room, the last few stragglers rushing out to see the impromptu fight Nox started.
The thin walls let in most of the rising cacophony. But High Tide’s locker room differed from the precinct or most other places Ali frequented. Thicker biological scents—sweat, blood, and literal tears—permeated every nook and cranny. Into the tile and barely there rug. So human. No practice bots or oil to mix into the fray and assault the nose.
Here, the lockers were old and retrofitted with ancient RFID locks. Ali hurried to the corner. Kneeling, she ignored the out-of-order sign, pried locker 101's dead RFID reader out and stared into the dark opening. A red light blinked, and her IrisLink provided
[Identity Confirmed]
Outside the locker room, deafening cheers roared to life. Nox had finished beating someone—presumably that woman's—ass.
Contorting, Ali stretched, jamming her shoulder into the twisted metal of the locker. "Come on…" Finally, she grabbed and pried off the false back panel; she reached in and pulled out a duffel. Her Syndicate stash. Ali tore off the hoodie but hesitated at the shirt. Blue hair dangled on her chest. Digging through the weapons wrapped in shirts, Ali felt at the bottom for cans and palm-sized tubs. Rummaging again, she extracted a knife. Ali made various tails using her hair ties and took the knife in a shaky grip.
Damn, it took her ages to grow this hair out. Holding the first tail out taught, it took a few jagged cuts to trim off half her hair. Ali stood at the mirrors after gathering the piles and flushing them down the toilet.
Changing her hair length wasn't enough. Sentinel's AI easily picked minor detail changes. Using a sharper knife from the bottom of the duffel, Ali cringed, grabbed a chunk near her temple, and hacked it away, then shaved close, an uneven undercut, thinning her thick hair and highlighting her IrisLink node. She slathered on the small jars of hair tint from the bottom of the duffel through the remnants, turning her hair a vivid pink at the fresh growth and purple elsewhere in minutes. Bone structure… she could fake some minor changes with makeup in her locker. A hood or hat… maybe something on her face… It might be enough in the low light of night, especially if she stayed out of high-traffic, low-crime areas where Sentinel was fully operational.
But then there was the other minute problem of keeping herself safe. She couldn’t bring service weapons. Those would be a dead giveaway. Ali found a salvageable Phoenix Arms Rail Pistol in the duffel, two magazines of Talon Rounds, and an AegisTech VibroBlade. Not her weapon of choice, but she didn't have many options here. Particularly choices of the relatively non-traceable kind.
Fishing in the locker again, she found a back sheath and side holster for her weapons. Stuffing the bag back into the hole in locker 101, cheers erupted outside. After finishing replacing locker 101's safeguards, Ali moved down to her usual locker, 113. Swapping out her shirt, hefting on the holster and sheath, and adding her leather jacket over the stolen hoodie, she found a forgotten pair of tinted round sunglasses. Finally, Ali emptied her private duffel bag, threw a few necessities in, and slung it over her shoulder.
The bouts were in full swing when she exited the locker room again. Nox had strongarmed his way to the front, banging on the ring ropes in a vain attempt to sway the match his way. Meaning he might already have been in a credit hole. Cal watched from the back, near the offices, eyes glued to Nox. Waiting for the inevitable weekly toss-out-on-Nox’s-ass. Whether Cal saw her pass through the hallway that led to the alley—coincidentally past his office—, he didn’t let on.
Since the ident confirmation at the locker, her IrisLink had gone unnervingly silent. Despite their nuisance, she almost missed the notifications.
Salty sea air blasted her at High Tide’s back door.
“Thumper?” Ali’s eyes fluttered up to the roof of the next building.
An ominous scanning target overlaid her sight as the seconds ticked by slowly.
Taking a step forward triggered the bot hiding in the shadows. Ali kicked out, and the box with two arm-like and two leg-like appendages latched on—instead of kicking back.
“God damn it, you scared me.”
IrisLink translated a series of whirs and clicks to [‘Fifteen days, seven hours, eight minutes, 52 seconds…’]
"I was working," she grumbled back, hobbling south towards Siltward and the docks while Thumper made an awkward climb up her leg and then back all the way to her shoulder. "You taking care of old Cal?"
Thumper’s servos whirred again, louder.
“Shhh! You need a good oil!” Or about a hundred replacement parts. She’d yet to find a way to keep up his maintenance while she worked.
Thumper. One of a dozen or so little bots Ali had pieced together as a kid, though few remained in working order now. This one was boxy, with mismatched arms and clamp-like hands. A single old optical lens camera with a poor infrared mod. Her little army to keep her safe at night. However, Cal wouldn't let the creature in, even if it was smaller than a cat and fifty times as loud. Another annoying part of his 'no bots' rule. But he said little when she'd left Thumper in the alley to keep him safe and report back to her.
Download initiated.
Damn it. She’d jinxed herself thinking about how few IrisLink notifications she’d had. “I don’t want to read every log entry of the damn back door opening at High Tide. Can’t you dumb it down for my smooth little brain?”
Thumper bashed her head with one of its claw-like hands.
“Fine! Process data in the background,” she grumbled at IrisLink and rubbed the new bump.
As the ruckus of the bouts died away, fresh arguments echoed on Sanctuary Point, a street of hostels, motels, safe houses, and the diviest dive bar Vanguard City had to offer. Also, one black market aug doctor that even the Syndicate steered clear of.
Heat radiated from Thumper, practically hot enough to singe her ear. “You overheating again?” Ali watched the hostel across the street with interest. Glass shattered, but there was no scream after. Whatever argument was going on must have settled, but did not settle Ali’s racing heart. Time pressed on Ali, the notification… or meeting at Brillos loomed, but she waited all the same. Watching the hostel door. The windows. More times than she’d have liked, those hostel’s windows were slicked after a yelling match like that. Matches that no ambulance or med-droid could be fast enough to help.
Thumper bent anxiously, ready to spring off her shoulder.
Elevated heart rate detected.
Initiate call to Emergency Services [Yes/No]?
Thumper kicked her shoulder.
"No," Ali growled, finally heading up Sanctuary Street to Harborview Avenue. "And don't kick me, Thumper."
[“No emergency.”]
Ali sighed. What the hell was wrong with this damn IrisLink? “No emergency? No, do not call…”
A cursor blinked in her peripheral vision, but no answer came. Only a stupid, Data processed message flashed. Then...
Internal temperature 90C
“Are diagnostics available now?” Because that was certainly not her internal temperature. But also… the elevated heart rate notification. That’s odd. She started up the street, wary of the line of shadows, even as Thumper's claws rattled impatiently. "Easy, tin can. I'm moving," Ali muttered, bracing for the whir and onslaught of clicks and beeps with a decided lack of subtlety to their meaning. IrisLink's cursor now hovered in her vision, and then…
Diagnostics unavailable.
Damn. What the hell was going on?
What if she tried a different command? "Are internal thermistors online?"
Internal thermistors are offline.
After several quick heartbeats hammered her chest, a prickling unease crawled up her spine. And Thumper tightened his clamp hand on her shoulder.
[“Behind.”]
The notification from IrisLink stole her breath from her lungs. Thumper's servos screamed to life as he leapt from her shoulder, sending Ali careening into a brick facade. She glimpsed an outline between the shifting of fabric in a two-story flat.
Invasive protocols detected
The flash of red in her vision was accompanied by Thumper screaming, or whatever the bot equivalent might be. It sent her adrenaline skyrocketing. Thumper squealed as he tossed himself across to the opening of the alley, giving chase to something. Shit! She couldn't take her eyes off the window, but heard it. The telltale buzz of a SkyWarden bot. Or bots.
Eyes darting back to the figure in the window, Ali’s stomach sank.
Dented and hobbling, Thumper came running up the street, one arm searing red and missing the clamp-like hand he'd had moments before. Ali dove into the closest alley, but the movement was enough to garner the drone's attention.
“Initiate Ghosthand protocol,” Ali backed further into the inky abyss, back slamming into a dumpster and praying she correctly remembered what the protocol might do as a single drone hovered at the entrance.
Ghosthand Protocol initiated.
Auto target acquisition? [Yes/No]
“Yes!”
Target: SkyWard Drone (D785)
Connection Type: Wireless Uplink (encrypted)
Distance: 10 meters
Target Status: Active | Engage mode active
Establishing link…
Her finger twitched, instinct screaming for her to reach for the rail pistol. But her scores against drone shots, a requirement for Vanguard PD, remained on par with the others in First Precinct—good, but not great. Unfortunately, SkyWard drones were flatter, smaller than the practice drones… and the one that had previously been zooming after Thumper was a newer model, now covered in enough shadows that…
Zip!
Ali dove as a dart pinged off the dumpster.
[Hacking in progress]
Signal Encryption… Cracking [56% complete]
The damn thing kept its distance. Reaching into the void of the alley, Ali came away with garbage like wrappers and cylinders. More darts.
Bypassing Security Layers: 3/5
This SkyWard drone only came another couple of feet into the alley before it hovered stationary, locking onto her.
Zip. Ting. Zip. Ting.
She threw the littered darts at the drone. “Come on. Something…? Anything…?” Ali pleaded with the IrisLink.
[Link Established: Drone Control Granted]
It was too dark to see, but she heard a mechanism retract, and a new message appeared.
Awaiting Command
Video Feed: Display [Yes/No]
Autopilot: Disabled
Ali sat up, watching a cursor blink over the drone flying in front of her, and her heart slowed. From up the street came more buzzing, more drones.
“How many drones are in range?”
Local Network Scan: In Progress...
Drones Detected: 4 Active Units
Distance to Nearest Drone: 15 meters
Drone Designations:
D-785 Sentinel | Status: Active Search | 12 meters
C-410 Recon | Status: Active Search | 28 meters
A-972 Tracker | Status: Active Search | 54 meters
S-650 Hunter | Status: Active Search | 63 meters
“Can Ghosthand override multiple targets?” She stayed in the shadows, sitting up and reaching behind her to find dozens of vials. Taking handfuls at a time, she held them up to the muted street light one at a time. Some vials were full, others empty.
Multiple Target Acquisition: Limited
Simultaneous Control: Up to 2 targets (Drone/Device)
Target Types:
Low-Complexity Devices: Cameras, Locks, Basic Systems [Full Control]
High-Complexity Devices: Drones, Advanced Tech [Partial/Shared Control]
Warning:
Increased risk of detection with multiple simultaneous targets.
System Strain: Protocol Efficiency Decreases by 20% per additional target.
Control Stability: May fluctuate when managing more than 1 high-complexity target.
Duration Reduction: Estimated runtime halved with 2 active targets.
Recommendation: Focus on high-priority targets for maximum efficiency.
Override Multiple Targets? [Y/N]?
"Yes, override… designation Hunter. When overridden, target lock and engage other hostile drones." Waiting, Ali watched the same text scroll through her vision until the hacking was completed. "Which of the uncontrolled drones is most compromised?"
[Query Received: Drone Status - Damage Assessment]
Scanning Target Drone: D-785 Sentinel...
[Damage Detected: 62% Operational Capacity]
At this point, Thumper had probably sustained more damaged and still could take out a drone. “What is the designation of the drone in front of me we already have control over?”
Designation: Alpha
Her hand found a larger broken pipe. "Place Alpha in follow mode. Lock onto Designation Sentinel and place locator marker."
[Background Process: Data Log and Video Feed Analysis - Thumper]
Analyzing... Match Detected.
[Alert: Forensic Match Found]
Thumper's Log Entry: Video Feed #216 | Timestamp: 00:14:35
Analyzed Object: Projectile Dart
Material Composition: Carbon Fiber Core | 85% probability of Neurotoxin Residue
Shape and Size: Identical to Known SkyWard Drone Ammunition
Weapon System Match: SkyWard Model [C-720] | High Precision Dart Launcher
Toxin Analysis
[Substance Analysis: Visual Mode Only]
Direct Contact: Not Established
Analysis Parameters: Color, Texture, Surface Behavior, Movement Patterns
Cross-Referencing Known Substances...
Likely Matches: 3 Potential Compounds
Analysis Confidence:
Visual Match Confidence: 72% Match with Neurotoxin Variant [Z-43]
Ali paused.
[Critical Alert: Human Target Identified in Thumper’s Video Feed]
Subject Status: Compromised by SkyWard Drone Dart
Potential Threat: Neurotoxin Exposure Detected in Victim
[Playback of Incident: Available]
Warning: Video contains footage of a person being incapacitated.
Toxin-Related Fatalities Possible | Proceed with Caution
Playback Video? [Y/N]
Additional Data Available: Analyzing Subject's Condition...
Well, she’d assumed there was neurotoxin since the damned thing had targeted her.
"Yes, playback video. Overlay at two times speed. 20% transparency." At the edge of the alley, IrisLink locked onto Sentinel with a red targeting crosshair. The drone spotted her as well. In her peripheral vision, or rather the video that played over the real world, she saw a ghostly image of another SkyWard drone in an alley or street. Markings on the body were like those on Alpha, as in the same manufacturer or owner. The video's transparency made it impossible to tell which for sure. The ghost drone zipped past the real Thumper, giving chase to a similarly ghostly girl who was probably a little younger than Ali, with somewhat indistinct features dulled by the nighttime recording. Except for her eyes. Which glowed iridescent blue. A bio-mod. Until the drone shot the ghostly girl with the same dart in Ali's hand and littered in the alley. A glimmer of light shone in the video, the door of High Tide opening a crack. Cal shouted and dropped a bag of garbage behind the door without even coming out gave her enough light to see the other girl wearing either dirty, torn scrubs or a hospital gown. These drones were near High Tide? And who was the girl?
Before Ali could ask IrisLink for more information, Thumper crashed one drone into the wall, the whirring blades dying dramatically.
“Correction, place Alpha in Active Defense mode.”
The Alpha drone raced to its former partner, intercepting the other drone and attempting to utilize its remaining darts. Shielding herself with the pipe, Ali drove herself to the opposite side of the alley and watched Sentinel's movement. It detected both threats—Ali and Alpha—but its action seemed to be based on Alpha's attack. She wasn't an imminent threat yet. Ali reached into her coat, feeling for the VibroBlade strapped to her back. Flipping off the magnetic clip of the sheath with her thumb, she gauged Sentinel's movement. Alpha worked on a delay because of her IrisLink connection. But Sentinel… must be low on whatever ammunition it had on board. It wasn't shooting her indiscriminately like most other drone's protocols. Thumper screeched, leaping from the building onto Sentinel, and Alpha took the distraction. Ali aimed and flung the metal bar as she emerged onto the street again, drawing the VibroBlade and squeezing the tactical grip. The faint hum of the air around the blade as it vibrated at 50 kHz drew the drone's attention. A quick slash from which Thumper vaulted away from and landed in a crumpled mess behind Ali, and the blade slid effortlessly through the last drone.
[Drone Alpha Status Update]
Mode Shift Detected:
Current Mode: Following Mode
Previous Mode: Defense Mode
How useful… Alpha finally made it into Defense Mode.
The street remained empty, yet she could feel that watchful eyes were all around. Sheathing the VibroBlade again, Ali scanned the two-story flat where someone had been watching, but the window was empty.
Well, Ghosthand certainly had a substantial delay.
A sudden searing pain flared at her temple. Her hand raced to her temple, the IrisLink hot to the touch.
"Disengage Ghosthand protocol on drone Hunter." A mass of wires and broken chassis pinged at the disengagement, piled with two other broken SkyWard drones—the drones Hunter likely had taken out while she and Alpha were busy. Or, rather, they'd taken each other out.
"Looks like we're both running hot now," Ali said, grabbing Thumper by his unbroken arm and lifting him onto her shoulder. His severed hand’s stump had cooled enough to turn gray again.
The drone designated as Sentinel was useless. Although Hunter was broken, Ali kicked the pile and inspected it. The chassis wasn't salvageable, but the innards were. She grabbed it, allowing it to clink and clatter while she disconnected the battery and then dropped it into her duffel bag.
“IrisLink, show me the least surveilled and safest path to Brillos Docks.”
Warning: System temperature exceeds operational threshold. Cooling required before additional processing can resume. Estimated recovery time: 5 minutes
User may experience discomfort during the cooldown process
Heat bled across her head, making Ali’s vision swim right on cue.
Chapter 5 will be out in late March!
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